The Model Who Lost Her Leg to Toxic Shock Syndrome Made Her Fashion Week Debut

You’ve probably read about Toxic Shock Syndrome in that little warning insert that falls out of your tampon box, but rarely do you hear about women who've actually been affected by TSS.

Lauren Wasser is changing that. The model lost the lower part of her right leg in 2012 after contracting TSS while using a tampon, but she's not letting that slow her down.

Lauren made her New York Fashion Week debut this weekend, walking for Chromat, a brand that specializes in futuristic-looking lingerie, dresses, and activewear. She worked a black caged dress, slicked back hair, and fierce expression on the catwalk alongside transgender artist Juliana Huxtable, Americas Next Top Model’s first transgender contestant Isis King, and plus-size models Sabina Karlsson and Denise Bidot.

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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 5,296 cases of TSS were reported between 1979 and 1996, and tampons were linked to 74 percent of those cases. However, the CDC report noted, TSS cases are on the decline.

This summer, Lauren sued Kotex, who she says is responsible for the tampon that caused her TSS. She said in a People interview that she also suffered organ failure and a heart attack from TSS, in addition to gangrene, which required the amputation of her right leg below the knee.

Lauren has become vocal about her disability in the past few years: She regularly posts pics on Instagram that include her prosthetic leg and even recreated Kylie Jenner’s controversial Interview wheelchair photo on Instagram with the simple caption “real life.” More recently, she posted two close-ups of her leg from the Chromat show.

She also appeared in an activewear campaign for Nordstorm at the end of last year, which she called “my first real job back in the modeling game.”

Lauren clearly isn’t letting her brush with death hold her back—and she’s sending a strong message about beauty standards in the process.

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